“Missions Emphasis 2022’

By Pastor Joe

Most of you are aware of our partnership and oversight for the Spooner A/G, officially “River’s Edge” church. I am excited to have Pastor Dave and Shelley Caya as an extension of our missions efforts here at Hawthorne. We are in the mist of our 2022 missions emphasis weekend and last night was our annual Appreciation Dinner. Matt Golie and Troy Katzmark both had great messages and if you missed it you should plan on attending next year’s gathering. This morning we are excited to have Matt sharing again from the Word and giving a brief synopsis of working with Native Americans on the Menominee Indian Reservation. Part of our missions emphasis each year is asking everyone to prayerfully consider making a missions faith promise. Hoping many of you will take the time this week to fill out your faith promise. This is more than a yearly financial pledge for our missions department, but is also a major prayer initiative; something you would post on your fridge, on your bathroom mirror, near your bed, or inside your Bible. Let’s believe together that God will meet our need for this special faith promise, which includes praying for missionaries every time you see your card.

Let’s go back to the opening statement about our connection to the Spooner fellowship and their current revitalization plan. One of my ongoing desires is for our local congregation to be clearly aware of what is happening and how we can participate. Weekly services have been happening for 4 months now. Right now, you can be praying for more volunteers, ongoing funding, clear direction for Pastor Dave and Shelley, and numeric growth at River’s Edge. Whether it is Spooner, Iron River, Minong, Keshena or points beyond, all of us are part of those “Beautiful Feet”. Our 2022 theme is more than just words, it is one step in front of another. Maybe your mission focus has you looking in a different direction. That’s great, just being involved with missions is what really matters.

Please consider how you will connect with our 2022 missions focus at Hawthorne Assembly. Hopefully over the next 307 days various missionaries supported by our fellowship will visit us and share updates and great testimonies. Special Sunday night services will be a key opportunity to hear about what’s happening in the mission field, across the globe and in our back yard. Every missionary guest is another chance to hear a report from “points beyond” and to be encouraged by what God is doing right now. During these next 10 months prayerfully consider how you will partner with them through your time, talent and treasures. One of the highest priorities for our local missions advisory team is doing our part in fully funding the missionaries we currently support. The term missionary includes outreach ministries which are: local, regional, national and worldwide. As an example, helping the local food shelf this last weekend is very important. Thank-you Linnea Moss for your commitment and to everyone who participated. Doesn’t it feel great to fulfill our theme, Together is Better! 2 Corinthians 8 declares my feelings about our great fellowship. “For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will.”